War Dogs [2016] ★★★

A cross between “Wolf of Wall Street” and “The Hangover”, “War Dogs” arrives to theaters with no particular expectations, and that’s probably a good thing. Good, because, despite its familiar premise, the movie is highly entertaining. Director Todd Phillips has been itching for a comeback after a series of disappointing films, and “War Dogs” could be it. Better believe it: the movie caught me off guard by starting at the end, where we meet Miles Teller’s character with a gun aimed at his head. Then we go back in time, 2005 to be exact, where two friends in their 20’s (Teller and a hilarious Jonah Hill) start a small internet arms business then quickly rise to power, with all the chaotic consequences you would expect from a movie that borrows a lot from Scorsese’s “Wolf of Wall Street” but still feels a lot like a Todd Phillips feature. What else to know? That Jonah Hills, fresh out of 2 Oscar nominations for “Moneyball” and “Wolf of Wall Street”, is finally getting all the spotlight he deserves and he can crack you up when you least expect it. That even when the movie derails, it pick up in no time. As far as summer movies go, “War Dogs” ranks as a pleasant surprise. It’s also Todd Phillips’ best movie since 2009’s “The Hangover”.